CBS12 Athlete of the Week: Lake Worth's Josh Rathell

by John Evenson

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Lake Worth (CBS12) —

The Lake Worth Basketball team has the pride of the community behind them, generation after generation. This week's CBS12 Athlete of the Week Josh Rathell is living up to his deep family roots on the Lake Worth High School hardwood.

"He's a great player and he's an even greater kid," says Lake Worth head coach Murray Smith. "He's as good off the court as he is on the court."

And on the court is where Josh Rathell has been in his free time for as long as he can remember. His passion for basketball this year is paying off more than ever.

"Nobody works harder than he does," adds Smith. "He's a slasher, he goes to the basket, but if you back off him he's a very good shooter. So you've really got to pick your poison with him."

"I've improved a lot with my ball handling," says Rathell. So that means a lot of defenders can't keep up with me, and can't guard me. I work hard for it, and I've got to do what I gotta do because I want to shine."

Hoping to follow in his father Richard's footsteps, who also played for Lake Worth, followed by 4 years at Gannon University.

"I do want to be like him in basketball, I actually want to be better than him," says Rathell with a smile. "It feels really good playing in front of him at the school that he played at. I'm pretty sure it puts a smile on his face too."

Josh's teammates put a smile on his face, and playing hard for them is natural.

"We've got to go and try to win a State Championship ring," says Rathell. And I'm going to rally my team to go fight for it."

"He's going to be successful (in life)," says Smith. "Because of how hard he works, and because (of) how much he cares."